The Cursed Taichou
by Typo Goblin
Summary: The newest Captain of the squads has some unusual accidents that cause him to fear his life may be in danger. A trilogy I made a while ago to follow Twilight Zanpakuto. *I do not own Bleach*
1. Chapter 1

Despite the hole that Aizen and his cohorts had left, Soul Society had been doing very well filling in the spaces and returning life to normal. Gin's squad had been taken over by his Vice and until they found a permanent Captain, he was doing well enough. Katsumi, the recently returned Shinigami, had been offered Aizen's position. Her acceptance was made more reluctant by Momo's reaction. The young woman, despite her pain by Aizen's betrayal, still held a deep love for him. Since Katsumi was the only one present, it seemed she had been chosen to take the brunt of that wrath.

The true problem, however, lay with the Captaincy Tousen had left. The first two men that had been chosen by Yamamoto and the other court guard Captains had met rather untimely and gruesome deaths. The current Captain, a Tochigi Kisho had already suffered two close calls, though it was debatable whether or not it was the curse that had done in the other two, or his own clumsiness. How he had gotten Yamamoto to give him the position, no one knew.

It was believed that Tousen with his blind sense of justice had left in his position a curse. All those who tried to Captain the ninth squad were quickly and effectively dispatched by some misfortune. It was enough to keep the Court Guard uneasy where they might have been able to find peace once more.

Katsumi, unlike the thirteen squads, had been able to fall into a normal routine once more. After her ordeal, she was eager to resume life as she had known it. For the first few weeks after returning, she hadn't had a moment alone, by choice. Ukitake had kept her company most of the time and when he was unavailable, Shunsui, Nanao or Toushiro had kept her company. She'd found a friend in the young Captain and he had been able to give her valuable advice on how to deal with Momo. Although it was indisputable that he was an amazing Captain now, his skill and wisdom would rival Yamamoto's after he'd grown fully into his own.

She sat alone now, the fading daylight forcing her to light a candle. Ukitake was due back any moment, having stepped out to finish his work for the day. Removing her haori, she draped it over a chair. Like many of the Captain's, she had chosen to personalize her Captain's uniform. The inside hems at the opening had been embroidered with vines and leaves in green with small, four petaled black flowers to match the pattern along the bottom of the over coat. As an addition, she'd added black ribbon in a laced, corset pattern up the back to keep the haori close to her form, rather than baggy like the rest. She'd also taken to braiding her hair in a particular fashion, allowing the long braid to form a square like pattern rather than flat.

Just as her mind began to wander, Juushiro walked in. In an unusual show of affection, he came up behind her to kiss her cheek. Reaching up, she rested her hand on his arm and smiled, looking over her shoulder. He pulled away gently to remove his haori, draping it over hers. "Yamamoto has called for yet another meeting tomorrow, first thing in the morning. Kisho...again." He informed her, sitting on the floor at the table to pour himself a cup of tea, slightly chilled but still good. Katsumi turned in the chair, resting one arm over the back to look at him.

"Again?" She asked with a frown, annoyed more than anything. "He's accident prone and that's all there is to it. He shouldn't have become Captain in the first place and he shouldn't continue to be allowed to Captain a squad. He's just fueling this silly curse legend."

Juushiro simply shrugged, sipping his tea. "It is ultimately Yamamoto's choice. Besides, he hasn't done anything wrong."

"Yet." Katsumi added, getting out of her chair to sit beside him as he poured her a cup as well.

"Try not to let it bother you. You have enough to worry about as it is. It's not easy getting used to such a high rank and it certainly isn't any easier following in a dark shadow such as Aizen's."

"I'll try not to." She promised, cupping the vessel in her hands to heat the tea. "It's just that he's such a..." She left off, not sure what to say.

"Moron!" Rangiku raged, arms outstretched as she looked down at her ample chest, soaked now by hot tea. "I can't....I can't believe...." She fumed, standing abruptly and stalking out of the room. Toushiro raised a brow and looked at Kisho.

"I didn't mean to!" He called after her, standing up quickly. By doing so, he caught the low table with his legs and upturned it. If it hadn't of been for his spilling tea on her, Rangiku would have been caught underneath it. "Oops..." Toushiro sighed and left the room, unable to take the man's presence anymore.

Without bothering to fix the mess he'd made, he ran after them. He was stopped abruptly by a hand on his chest as he tried to leave the room. The imposing figure of Kenpachi loomed over him, dark eyes looking down his nose at the smaller man. "Yamamoto will be here soon. You should stay." He said with a grin that struck Kisho cold. Man, that guy was intimidating! Yuchiru peeked up over his shoulder with a bright smile, not a single pink hair out of place.

"Yes, stay and talk with us! Ken-chan can't wait to spar with you!" She grinned, slipping off his shoulder to see if she could salvage any tea from the mess he'd made. Kenpachi righted the table, then leaned against the wall to wait for the others. The Captains, as well as their Vices, slowly filtered in. Toushiro returned, followed by the freshly changed Rangiku who made it a point to keep her Captain between her and Kisho at all times.

"Sissy..." Toushiro whispered with a completely straight face, making his Vice color slightly.

Katsumi arrived with the last group, consisting of her, Ukitake, Shunsui and Nanao and Gin's Vice. Yamamoto entered from the opposite door, tapping his cane on the floor for a call to attention. The room silenced and everyone filed into two lines, according to position.

"Thanks to the help of Mayuri and his research squad, new information has come to light. Tochigi Kisho's life is truly in danger, though we have yet to figure out by what. The deaths of the two previous squad nine Captains were not accidents or mistakes. They were deliberate, as well as one of the attempts at Kisho." It took great will for several of the Captains and Vices not to laugh. Yamamoto had just confirmed that Kisho was responsible for the other 'attempts' on his life.

"As such, we are going to take precautionary measures to ensure his safety. I would like one Captain to volunteer for an assignment. We will then send Kisho, and this Captain, to the living world. There, they will hide until we can determine who the perpetrator is and ensure Kisho, and everyone's, safety here." He looked down each line, though no one volunteered. Understandably. Everyone had a massive amount of work to do cleaning up after Aizen. Except...

With a long, drawn out sigh, Katsumi stepped forward. "I volunteer." She said simply. Yamamoto turned his wizened eyes to her.

"Thank you, Captain Onishi. I was hoping you would step up. This will be your first visit to the living realm, correct? It will be a wonderful experience for you I hope. There are plenty of people there who are considered friends by the Shinigami and you will not be lacking help in protecting Kisho." He assured her, nodding. Katsumi stepped back into line, all the while wondering what it is she had gotten herself into. All of the other Captain's looked quiet relieved.

Shunsui stepped forward then, the glint in his eye suggesting to all that he was up to no good. Raising a finger, he spoke. "Might I suggest something?" At Yamamoto's nod, he continued, grinning at Katsumi. Oh how that grin made her want to beat him senseless. Or, more senseless anyway. "Would it not be a good idea to send Yuchiru with the two? They could pose as a family to blend in better."

Kenpachi growled menacingly, his way of saying he didn't like the idea at all, but Yuchiru gave a happy cry and jumped off his shoulder. She ran to Yamamoto and grabbed his robbed pleadingly.

"Please, please, please, please, PAHLEASE!" She cried. Yamamoto didn't seem to notice the little girl hanging from his robes as he nodded. "Very well, if she is willing to accept the mission. The three can leave as soon as they're ready. If there are no other matters, questions or concerns, dismissed."

As they were walking out of the meeting room, Yuchiru babbling on about how excited she was, Katsumi grabbed Shunsui's haori and pulled him close. "You will pay for this in a way you can't even imagine." She growled. The tall man just grinned.

"I live with Nanao, what can you possibly do to me?" He asked before walking off with an infuriating grin.

"You're sure you want to do this? You've never been to the living world before." Ukitake pointed out gently. They were laying in bed together in the darkness, her head rested against his shoulder as he stroked her hair lightly. Despite his seemingly weak body, the beat of his heart was strong and sure, finding a steady rhythm with her own. "And I know how you feel about Kisho." He added gently, as if brining up a delicate subject.

"I'll be fine. Soi Fong seems to trust Yoruichi, and Yoruichi trusts Urahara. I'm sure we'll be safe. Besides, we have Ichigo and his friends, who have shown multiple times that they are willing to help us. If it comes to the worst, Yuchiru will be there to make sure I don't beat Kisho to a bloody, twitching pulp." She half joked.

With a gentle nod against her forehead, his hand stilled in her hair. "Just means our honeymoon won't be much of a surprise anymore." He finally admitted his real reasoning behind his questions.

Tilting her head up gently to look up at him, Katsumi smiled, finding his other hand to lace their fingers together. "That will be an entirely different matter." She promised. "And with the way things are going now, we might have to wait a while for all those things to occur. There just isn't time to allow two Captains to go roaming around the living world for fun." She pointed out gently, closing her eyes. "We've waited this long just to be together, a wedding and honeymoon are just ceremonies and traditions. You're here with me when I thought you never would be again. I can't wait many more lifetimes as long as it's with you." Katsumi wondered when she'd gotten so sentimental and sappy.

Juushiro gave a rare smile, black eyes loving as he looked down at the woman in his arms. "Once again, Katsumi, you're right."

It didn't take very long for Katsumi to drift off to sleep. For many months after her return she'd suffered from nightmares, as she had her entire time in the half world realm. Now, back in the comfort of friends and familiar places, she was sleeping more peacefully. Tonight, she didn't dream so much as recall memories from years past, drudged up by her subconscious. This dream just so happened to be one of her favorite memories.

_"Run, Katsumi!" Nanao cried out in warning, waving her arms and jumping up and down. Her academy uniform tightened against her form as the wind blew against her. Her short cropped black hair blew into her eyes, forcing her to blink for a moment, losing sight of what would surely be the tackle of the century. _

_Katsumi looked up from the letter she was reading just in time to see Shunsui's large form barreling toward her. "Dammit, Shunsui!" She cried, forgetting the slip of paper to shoot up, just barely shifting the balance of her weight as he slammed into her, making her grunt and spin to the side. Her hand grasped once at thin air as she spun, then the second time caught the back of his Shinigami uniform. It spun her -back- around and into him. With one heel slipping in front of his ankle, she threw off his considerable weight and landed hard on top of him. Pulling his arm back at an angle, she rested a knee at the small of his back. _

_"UNCLE! Say it!" She order, twisting his wrist. Before she could twist any more, with an act of pure flexibility she didn't know he had in him, he kicked her in the back of the head and once he felt her weight over his back, rolled on top of her, with his hand still in her hold. Didn't matter now though. _

_"Ah, what a lovely sky today!" He exclaimed happily, tugging his arm free. He looked over his shoulder and grinned. His curled, black hair fell directly in her face leaving her to spit it out. "Oh, Katsumi. Uncle." His infuriating grin returned. At a gentle clearing of the throat, his head snapped forward again, hitting her in the nose. _

_Just then, she started kicking and thrashing, catching him good a few times with her knees against his back and legs. He rolled off and stood in one swift motion, brushing off his clothing and clearing his throat as well._

_"That's better." Ukitake said, glaring at his friend as he helped Katsumi up. Shunsui just grinned back, head cocked slightly. "No way to treat a lady." He admonished, voice soft. _

_"Yeah!" Nanao ran up to him, punching his shoulder. _

_"Ow..." The feigned complaint came from Shunsui, rubbing his shoulder. He feinted as if he were going to tackle her as well, making her squeak and cover her head with her arms. Having accomplished his goal, he chuckled and walked off. _

_"I told you to run." Nanao reminded her, crossing her arms over her chest. Although these three were already out of academy and ranking Shinigami, Nanao had taken to keeping their company. Or rather, Katsumi and Ukitake's. Shunsui just came with the package it seemed. _

_"And give him the satisfaction? I'd rather beat him up." She defended. _

_Ukitake shook his head, guiding the two women back toward the academy grounds, leaning down to scoop up Katsumi's paper. "It certainly looked like you were winning." He teased, though is voice was flat and serious. _

_"Oh, shut up." Both women said at once, Katsumi grumbling, Nanao teasing. _

Captain Onishi Katsumi found she had to grit her teeth to keep from lashing out. Biting her tongue physically hadn't worked. The man was insufferable. He was pouting now because Yamamoto had refused to let him bring his Zanpaku-to to the living world. They might be able to find him with it, he'd reasoned, but Kisho had still pouted like a two year old. Only Katsumi and Yuchiru would be allowed to bring their Zanpaku-to and even then they would have the standard restrictions placed on them.

Katsumi was dressed in clothes normally found in the living world. A pair of jeans with a black leather belt, a tight fitting white button up shirt tucked in. Her long hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, the end falling nearly to her waist line. Kisho was dressed similarly, with black slacks and a blue polo shirt. Yuchiru had donned a pink dress to match her hair, with pink stockings and sparkled pink shoes. She fit in the most out of all of them, fitting her targeted look with stereotypical perfection. The dress fell to her knees and puffed out, a cute belt around her waist. The left breast of the dress had an embroidered butterfly on it.

Right now, however, she looked anything but adorable. She was clinging for all she was worth to Kenpachi's neck and even his considerable strength could not pull her off. Kicking her feet and shaking her head, she screamed; "I DON'T WANNA GO! Don't make me Ken-chan!"

"You promised." His deep voice rumbled, trying to calm her down.

"Yuchiru, we're leaving now!" Katsumi called, walking toward the gate. "Sorry you don't want to come with us!"

The little girl stopped all motion immediately, opening her eyes. "Leaving without me?!" She planted her feet on Kenpachi's chest and did a back flip off of him, landing on her feet and bolting for Katsumi. "You wouldn't leave without me, would you?!" She cried, clinging to Katsumi's leg. She pat the girl's head and shook her own.

Ukitake came up for one last farewell. He knelt down and brushed away Yuchiru's residual tears. "Take care of Kisho, okay?"

She gave a brisk salute and nodded sharply. "Yes, sir!" Then turned on her heel and marched through the gate with a backward wave to Kenpachi. "See you later, Ken-chan!"

With the barest of smiles, he stood to face Katsumi. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, then closed it again. He brought his fingers to his lips and tapped them lightly. Katsumi was loving his discomfort, tapping her foot with feigned impatience. Finally, she reached for his hand, pulling it away from his face. "Would it kill you to admit that you love me when there are other people around?" She asked, one slim brow raised. "I know it's not considered proper, but barely anyone is watching." At that, she heard a snicker from behind Juushiro. "And we both know that Shunsui doesn't count." She added, without missing a beat. As luck would have it, she could see his face from the corner of her eye.

"You're completely right, Captain Onishi. I need to loosen up." He agreed with a bare smile.

Katsumi gave a happy nod, releasing his hand. "Good, I'll see you in a few days when I report in. Take care of yourself."

Before she'd fully turned around she felt his slim, chilled fingers on her arm. Turning slowly, it took only a matter of seconds for Ukitake's lips to meet hers. The kiss was light and brief, but the feeling was definitely there. Opening her eyes, his black one's came into her vision, alight with amusement. "You too." He smiled and straightened, clasping his hands behind his back.

A few feet behind him, Nanao let out a wistful sigh. Then, with a delicate cough, she straightened her glasses and her stern look returned. Shunsui raised his brows and looked over at her. "I can..." He was immediately cut off by the back of her hand a mere centimeters from his face. He just grinned and waved happily at the departing Katsumi.

"WELCOME!" Urahara exclaimed and made a big show, wrapping his arms around Katsumi for a giant bear hug, then sweeping up the giggling Yuchiru. "Of course, you're all welcome to stay here as long as you'd like."

Yuchiru cocked her head as she looked at him, eyes hidden by the brim of his hat. To take care of the problem, she plucked it off his head and placed it on her own. He just grinned and took her inside. "I like him, Shishi!" She giggled, climbing up to sit on his shoulder.

"The two girls will be staying in here," He waved a hand as he passed a large room with two beds, fresh flowers on the night stand. "And Klutz will stay in the spare room."

A black cat sauntered out of the indicated room, tail swishing back and forth. "With the litter box."

Kisho groaned, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand. "It can't possibly get any..."

"I wouldn't say that if I were you!" Urahara trilled happily, flipping open his fan. "Well, ladies and Klutz. It is late, the shop is closed and it is time for us to go to bed." He set Yuchiru gently down on the floor, patting her back to send her off to her room after retrieving his hat. "Sleep well everyone!" In a matter of seconds, he'd disappeared.

"Kisho, we'll leave the door open so if anything happens, just yell." Katsumi disappeared as well, following the little pink haired Vice. "Good night." Her soft voice sounded from inside the room. It had been a short reception to be sure, but warm, quite unlike what she'd expected after hearing Renji's horror stories.

Katsumi woke several hours later, blaming her sleeplessness on being restless. With a glance across the moonlit room, she saw that Yuchiru was fast asleep, mouth open, pillow drenched in drool. A Vice she may be, but a child still. Slipping silently from between the covers, she padded out into the main room of the shop. She stopped suddenly in the hallway, closing her eyes to focus all of her effort on listening. Perhaps it wasn't just restlessness that had woken her up. Was that a baby she heard crying?

Urahara sat by a window, sipping on steaming tea. He was dressed as usual, bringing up the question in Katsumi's mind: Did he sleep in that hat and coat? He turned his head to give her a pleasant smile, patting the ground beside him. She sank down obediently, glancing out the window. With a sudden gasp, she grabbed the sill and pulled herself up slightly.

"That is a baby!" She whispered harshly. "What's it doing out there?"

The shopkeeper put a gentle hand on her shoulder and pulled her back into the sitting position. He tisked and shook his head, setting down his tea to snap open his fan. "I surely thought a Captain of the thirteen court guard squads would have sensed the Hollow behind the building to the east. This one is using a technique not unlike the one that robbed Ichigo of his dear mother."

She saw then as the creature came out from behind the building, pacing restlessly. "I'll work on that." She smiled slightly. "Doesn't it know better than to hang around a shop with three high ranking Shinigami and two retired Captains?"

"Perhaps if it were a bit older it might. Or, perhaps it thinks it can take us on." He gave a delicate shrug and returned to his tea. Yuchiru came out and plopped herself down in Katsumi's lap, rubbing one eye to remove the sleep-sand.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" She asked, tilting her head back to look at Katsumi.

"The Hollow out there." She replied.

Yuchiru peered out the window and giggled. "You two are silly. That's not a Hollow." She scoffed. "What's missing?" She asked with an air of importance, sounding like the gentle teacher. Both of the older Shinigami immediately snapped to attention at that, looking carefully at the Hollow that paced back and forth. When neither could see anything out of the ordinary to answer her question with, Yuchiru whispered loudly. "NO HOLE!" Then giggled again.

Depositing the little Vice into Urahara's lap, she shot up, pulling at the frame of the door to stand fully and propel herself down the hall the few feet to Kisho's room. She tugged the blanket off and shoved him hard. "Wake up! We have to go, right now!" And before he'd even opened her eyes, she'd returned to her room to retrieve her Zanpaku-to.

Suddenly the Legend of the Cursed Taichou wasn't sounding so silly anymore....

To Be Continued.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Left, or right?" Katsumi asked in a harsh whisper. Through the brush beside her, Renji's very recognizable red hair could be seen. She glanced to the other side, Ukitake's black eyes watching her carefully. "Well, left or right?" She asked again when neither gave her an answer. _

_"I'll take it myself." Renji said boldly, eyes alight. _

_"Don't be stupid, Abarai." Ukitake said bluntly. "You sneak around the back. Onishi will take the left, I'll take the right and when it's focused on us, you attack and take it out. This Hollow is too powerful to play around. Games won't work here." The first Hollow to show up in Soul Society since Katsumi had arrived and they were stuck with only an academy student?_

_Katsumi nodded in agreement. The Hollow howled in dismay, lumbering head swinging from side to side, looking for the disappeared Shinigami. "Alright, let's go." She said decisively. _

_The three parted ways, Renji's Shunpo carrying him immediately out of sight. Bursting out of the brush, the two Vices ran toward the large creature. Upon seeing them, it roared in delight, the ground shaking as it came toward them with equal speed. Breaking off at the last moment, they took opposite sides, both rushing for the thick legs, cutting as they passed. It shrieked in pain, stumbling. The two Shinigami appeared before it once more. _

_"Renji!" Katsumi called, raising her Zanpaku-to before her._

_"Approach me Hollow, and know the fury of my wrath!" Renji cried, making Katsumi groan. Damn cadets! The Hollow did indeed turn, infuriated by it's wounds and having to face a third opponent, it lumbered toward Renji. He jumped up, arcing his weapon down, toward the mask of the Hollow. In a move Renji wasn't expecting, it simply sidestepped the attack. With it's wounded legs, it wasn't as fast as it might have been when avoiding attacks, landing a blow on it's foreleg. With another cry of rage, it swung at it's attacker, sending the sturdy, but stupid form of Renji back several dozen yards. _

_Despite the fact that it had all be done backwards, the distract and dispatch plan would work yet. Katsumi and Ukitake attacked at the same time, splitting the Hollow's mask into three even pieces. The creatures simply dissolved into dust and disappeared. Immediately, Katsumi rushed over to Renji. He was just starting to sit up, and with Katsumi's help, did so fully, holding his head. _

_"You are a total moron." Katsumi chastised. "Had to go try and be the hero, eh?" She asked, shaking her head. _

_"Yeah...I know..." He said sheepishly. "Kuchiki tells me that all the time. My only hope of living is to become a Captain before he does." He groaned. _

_"Fat chance of that." She retorted with an unladylike snort of a laugh. He just glared at her, making her expression turn innocent all of the sudden. _

_"Oh, don't you give me that, Katsumi!" He growled with feigned menace. _

_"Vice Onishi." Ukitake corrected sternly. Despite his usual pale complexion, not helped by the moonlight, he looked quite menacing, black eyes staring down at him. _

_"Eh...right. Vice...Onishi..." He said, nearly breaking out in...giggles? _

_"Oh, just go home will you? We'll finish patrol." She insisted, helping him stand. _

_"What, the cripple and his little lady? Aww....how-" _

_"Go ahead and say it!" She dared him, standing dangerously close. "Come on Renji....spit it out." _

_"Oh, nothing....I'll just be going now then, shall I?" He disappeared with the fasted burst of Shunpo she'd witnessed yet. _

_It took mere moments for Katsumi to break out into laughter. Ukitake raised a slim, white brow in her direction. _

_"He could have gotten us killed." He pointed out flatly. _

_"Yes, but he didn't. It was a powerful Hollow, yes, but against to Vice Captains?" She shook her head. "He'll learn." _

_"You are a complete, moron! M-O-R-O-N!" Rukia yelled. She seemed to do a lot of that with Renji. He pouted playfully at her, which only drew more wrath from the woman half his size. She drew back and punched him across the side of the jaw. "Why didn't you tell anyone?!" She demanded, standing over him, smoke fairly coming from her ears. "Captain Onishi called for help two days ago! Two!" _

"I know! Your big brother already chewed me out for it. I'm sorry! But they're fine!" He defended.

"They're missing!" She yelled all the louder. "If Ukitake hears about this...you can bet you'll see a just how hard a sick man can hit!"

"I'll go find them myself!" He promised, anything to get her to stop being mad at him and have those cute lovey eyes come back. Jeez, she was prone to mood swings.

"Oooohh and if Kenpachi catches wind that Yuchiru is missing....you are a dead man, Renji, dead!"

That did strike fear into his heart. Oh man! Kenpachi?! He would die for sure.

"Yea...I thought so." She turned on her heel and left the room. With a groan, he fell into bed.

Katsumi woke with a groan and tried to sit up, only to find a hand restraining her. "Now, now. Please recover your strength." A voice said, the face blurred as she opened her eyes. After a few moments her vision focused on the face of Urahara.

"What happened?" She asked suddenly, the night before coming back in a flash but not clear enough.

The shopkeeper plopped down beside her, folding his legs and unfolding his fan. "We blacked out. All except the little Vice here. She dragged us down into my little training world. We're quite safe here, I assure you. However....we're also alone, foodless and friendless. With that...thing, standing guard, we can't get out and no one can get in. No one knows we're here either, given that this happened in the middle of the night. It would seem we've just disappeared. Quite a shame actually." He pondered idly, almost sounding happy about the whole thing. The man sounded happy about everything it seemed.

"There's no way to let someone know we're all down here?" She asked, incredulous. "Don't you have fail safes for this sort of thing?"

He lowered the fan, tilting his hat back. "For being run out of my own shop? Nope, sorry. Never thought it would happen." He admitted, standing abruptly to walk off. "Someone will find us eventually." He called over his shoulder pleasantly.

"Great!" She groaned, falling back onto the ground again with a sigh. She was supposed to have reported in this morning, a report she'd probably missed by now. Yamamoto would be disappointed and Kenpachi would throw a fit. Yuchiru happily skipped up to her, leaning over and resting her hands on her knees a she scrutinized Katsumi closely.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'll be fine." Yuchiru helped her stand, brushing off her jeans for her. "Thank you. You dragged us all down here, huh?"

"Yep!"

Katsumi ruffled the girls hair and smiled warmly down at her. "Thanks again then. We owe you. Do you know what that thing was, by any chance?"

"Nope!" She said again, happily, before skipping off. "Kisho! Play with me!" She demanded, her voice fading away.

Pulling out her cell phone, she flipped it open, futilely pushing a few buttons. It worked at least and sure enough, that thing was standing guard right above them. The device snapped shut and she slipped it out of view once more. She didn't like the idea of sitting and waiting, but it would seem she had little choice in the matter.

In the distance, Yuchiru's voice sounded again, echoing in the vast spaces. "Yoruichi! Play with me!"

Katsumi checked for the presence of the creature every couple of hours, both by walking up the stairs to the shop for a peek, and on the handy Hollow tracker phone. After the tenth time or so, she gave up. Everyone but Yoruichi had gone to sleep, finding make shift beds in the softest places possible, though Urahara had made this place harsh and barren for a reason and it served it's purpose well.

The black cat came up beside her, flicking her tail against Katsumi's arm. "You should be sleeping as well." The deceivingly male voice suggested, the sleek feline settling on her haunches.

"No, thank you. I was out longer than anyone so I should be keeping watch." She pointed out, glancing down. "You can sleep if you'd like though."

The cat huffed indignantly, raising it's nose. "Just because I'm in cat form doesn't mean I sleep all the time like real cats."

"I didn't mean it like that." Katsumi smiled, teasingly scratching behind the cat's ear.

"Yea, yea, keep it up Captain." She tried to look miffed, but her tone suggested she was more amused than anything.

_Three figures sat under the stars, a giant willow adding more shadows to their features. A full, bright moon gave them light, not a breeze to chill the air. One figure, quite large, spoke making the smallest figure laugh, shoving at the shoulder of the first. The laughter came in both long and short bursts, always genuine. _

_"Oh, come on, Shunsui." Katsumi laughed, breathless with it. "If you did that, Mayuri would slaughter you in your sleep!"_

_"No, maybe just experiment on him." Ukitake suggested with a smile. _

_"How can you improve perfection?" Shunsui asked, leaning back against the trunk of the tree lazily. _

_"I don't know, how can you Katsumi?" Ukitake asked, turning his dark gaze to her. _

_An audible gasp came from Shunsui. "I don't believe it." He feigned complete shock, though some of it was genuine. "Was that....affection?" _

_"What are you talking about? He gives me plenty of affection." Katsumi defended. _

_"He must smother you when you're alone then." He mused, more to himself than them. _

_"What makes you think I'm not affectionate?" Ukitake asked his friend bluntly, one brow raised. _

_"Come on Juushiro. You never hug her, kiss her, hold her hand or touch her when another soul is around. Half the time you seem to be afraid that she'll burst into flame if you so much as look at her." He seemed quite serious and passionate about the topic. _

_Ukitake took the criticism calmly, responding just as evenly. "It wouldn't be proper for two-" _

_Before he could finish, Shunsui cut him off. "Katsumi, dear, would you like a shovel? Being with him the most, you must be elbow deep in bull-"_

_Now it was Ukitake's turn to cut him off. "Don't you dare start up with that." _

_"Start what?" Shunsui asked innocently, bringing another laugh from Katsumi. "All I'm saying is that women need a little affection or they'll stray, that's all."_

_"Hey! I would never-" But Katsumi, too, was cut off. _

_"Take my ebony-haired goddess for example," He began, his tone making it clear that he had quite a bit to say on the subject. _

_"Ise Nanao?" Ukitake asked. _

_"You hardly know her, on top of that, you might never work with her. Two days and she's already your 'goddess'?" Katsumi reasoned, or tried to. _

_"Take my ebony-haired goddess for example," He repeated, ignoring them. "I shower her with love and affection, therefore she will never seek the arms of another man." _

_"Instead she chooses to duck and cover when ever she sees you coming." Katsumi grinned. _

_"You lie!" Shunsui accused, sitting up to point a finger for added effect. _

_"I've seen her doing it." Ukitake testified. _

_"You lie too!" He laid back again, crossing his arms over his broad chest in a defensive manner. "My dearest Nanao will come around. Besides, we're supposed to be talking about you two." He stated, ignoring the fact that he'd brought up Nanao._

_"The fact is: He shows me plenty of affection." Katsumi said with a note of finality._

_Shunsui just looked at them, seated with a good one or two feet between them, scratching his chest lazily. _

_Without warning, Ukitake grabbed her, laying her back against the soft grass. With one arm supporting her upper body, the other hand burrowed deep in her hair, he kissed her. Nothing quick or chaste, but long, lazy and loving. When he pulled away, he looked down at her, black eyes brimming with amusement he might not have shown otherwise. Returning her to her sitting position, Ukitake stared at his lifelong friend, daring him to continue. _

_"Well I'll be damned." Then looking at Katsumi, his eyes narrowed as he studied her closely. She had flushed cheeks and a dreamy far off look. Shunsui pointed an accusing finger at Ukitake. "It doesn't count if you've never done it before!"_

_For a rare, cherished moment, Ukitake laughed. In the night sky above, the stars winked happily over the still blushing Katsumi. _

It was around four in the morning that something finally happened. The large gates at the top of the stairs rattled violently, stilled a moment, then began to swing open. With her hand on the hilt of her Zanpaku-to, she rose slowly, stepping toward the stairs slowly. They rose a good thirty feet up, a rather long walk, but not too long for a Hollow...or whatever this was. In the darkness it was hard to see a sure form, but there was something up there. Tall and bulky, a formidable foe for sure.

"You're safe!" A voice cried as someone tackled her to the ground, nearly two hundred pounds of weight crushing her to the ground. Once lifted, the scraggly voice of Shunsui came into view. He wasn't in his normal captain's uniform, flowery as it was. Instead he wore a modest black button up shirt, untucked, with khaki slacks. Barefoot?! Didn't people notice that? "I was so worried! I mean...Ukitake was so worried." He stood swiftly, and in the same motion, swept her up into his arms. His head lowered, dark eyes close to hers. "Don't tell Nanao, she'll be jealous." Then dropped her.

"Gah!" Luckily, she landed on someone, producing a grunt and groan all in one. Rolling off quickly, she moved to help up her saving grace. Poor little Hanatorou looked up at her sheepishly, rubbing his back. "Shunsui, that wasn't very proper." He pointed out in her defense.

"If you hadn't bothered her, she would have landed on her feet. She's a Captain in the thirteen squads." He pointed out with a lazy grin.

"Heh, oh yeah." He rubbed his head and walked off to check on the other members of Katsumi's little company.

"Sorry Ukitake couldn't make it, he had another bought of that coughing blood thing. Wasn't pretty. So he sent me instead. Or rather, I volunteered. Without his knowing."

"Is he okay?" She asked nervously, blue eyes darkening with worry.

"Yeah, yeah, he's fine. Unohana is taking care of him personally, again." He assured her, actually becoming serious for a moment.

"Wait a minute...." She pulled out the phone. Sure enough a little red dot indicated the position of the critter, still above them. "How did you get in here?"

"Oh, Mayuri helped."

Just the name sent a shudder down her spine. Then, Mayuri himself, in all his creepiness, descended down the steps. Too grand for a Gigai, he remained in his Shinigami form, odd uniform in tact.

"You're lucky I'm here, in this God-forsaken place. Humans are filthy creatures, I can't believe Yamamoto forced me to interact with these things." He gave a visible shudder and floated past her without another word.

"Yes, thank you for coming." She said sarcastically, making him swing back toward her, yellow eyes focusing menacingly on her.

"You should be grateful. If I was one of the newest Captains, I wouldn't be mouthing off to my superior." He said, eyes narrowing.

Katsumi almost lost it. Her eyes boiled with fury, fists clenched tightly at her sides as she stepped closer, opening her mouth to say something.

"Hey now, if she'd hadn't been -mastering- her Bankai, she would have been a Captain for a century longer than you have." Shunsui pointed out gently, hoping to avoid a fight. With a growl, he turned and stalked off, muttering to himself about insolent wenches, Katsumi nearly following.

Shunsui took her arm gently and shook his head. "He fights dirty, you'd better not. Besides, no one cares about what he says, it isn't worth it."

With a growl of her own, she let it go, crossing her arms over her chest. "Jerk."

Shunsui laughed. "Hey now, I was just trying to help." He teased, nudging her shoulder. "Anyway, we didn't have any trouble getting in. There was nothing up there. But, when you didn't report in the big man got worried and sent us." He shrugged, leaning against a large boulder, raising his hand above his eyes, despite the lack of sun. He was missing his straw hat greatly. "The Reiatsu is there, but Mayuri, who 'doesn't make mistakes'," He imitated Mayuri's voice poorly. "Assured us it wasn't there."

"How is that possible?" She asked, forgetting about her anger for a moment. "Doesn't it have to be there for the Reiatsu to register?"

"That's the theory that's widely accepted, yes, but apparently that isn't necessary."

The other's joined them, with the exception of Mayuri who didn't want anything to do with a lowly shopkeeper and his amazing, gender confused, talking cat.

"Well, I suppose it's safe to go back up." Urahara said, peering up the stairs from under his two tone hat.

"Well if Mayuri said it, it must be true!" Yoruichi said before bounding up the stairs two and three at a time, no small amount of malice in her voice. "Yeah! It's safe." She called down before mumbling; "What a mess!"

They all made there way back up to the shop and the new morning light. Sure enough, the place was empty, if not completely torn apart. Urahara's eyes widened and he looked as if he might cry. "Jinta! Ururu! Where are you?" He demanded, storming off into the back of the shop to find them.

Feeling rather bad for him, Katsumi tried to pick up a few things, but was stopped by Shunsui. "We should be getting back. Yamamoto hasn't decided weither or not he wants you to stay here, but he wants to talk to you personally." He informed her. "Mayuri is going to stay here with Yuchiru and I'm going to take you back."

It seemed odd to her the way he took her arm, leading her out. The pace wasn't fast, but for Shunsui it was a bit hurried. Once out of the store, he let her go, returning to his normal, lazy self, looking once more as if he might fall asleep any moment, even when standing and walking around. On a whim, she flipped out the phone.

"Hey! Try and get Yamamoto to let you bring back my Zanpaku-to!" Kisho came running out, nearly tripping....twice.

"Sure thing." She called back, glancing down. The little red dot began moving away from her. She stood still but watched it continue. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched Kisho retreat into the shop once more, disappearing into shadow.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Katsumi didn't know if she should be furious, or scared. The whole time Yamamoto had been playing her. Perhaps the whole of the thirteen squads had been doing so. Would Ukitake do that to her? She shook her head slightly as she walked, as if to brush away the thought. No, that was absolutely ridiculous. Yamamoto was in this alone. Marching into his personal office she almost told him so.

Shunsui put a restraining hand on her shoulder as she stepped forward menacingly. She mostly ignored him, but didn't step any further. "Did you know the whole time? He was sleeping in the next room, right there and we had no idea! How would we have known if we'd had to protect ourselves, or worse, the innocent souls of that world?" She demanded, cheeks flushed as her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. "We were chasing an invisible enemy while the real one was at our backs"

"Captain Onishi!" Yamamoto slammed his cane down on the floor, demanding her attention and obedience. "Control yourself." He demanded in return. Katsumi found that she literally had to bite her tongue to keep from retorting.

"Oh, I am." She assured him under her breath, though he most likely would hear that as well. "Is anyone in danger?" She asked as evenly as she could. "Even if I'm only on a need to know basis...I need to know this."

"I can't tell you that." He said after a moment of silence.

Katsumi nodded, pursing her lips. "Okay...fine." She turned abruptly and left. She had an errand to run and she was sure that when she was done, he would tell her.

_"You're cuddling my fiancé." Ukitake said with a raised brow, leaning against the door to the apartments he shared with Katsumi. Shunsui was leaning against the wall, lazy as always, chin rested against his chest until Ukitake spoke. He looked up, then glanced down at Katsumi's head nestled against his broad shoulder, one arm loosely draped over his chest. _

_"You're looking better." The large man commented, looking back up, ignoring the earlier comment and the woman sleeping against him. "You'll make her very happy when she wakes up. Of course, not as happy as I made her wh-"_

_"You tread on very thin ice, my friend." With Ukitake, it was hard to tell if he was joking or not. _

_Shunsui shook his head, stray locks of black hair swaying. Couldn't that man ever keep it all back properly? Katsumi should give him lessons. "When Unohana kicked her out, she was distraught and, naturally, came to me. She didn't want to be alone." He paused then, for once carefully considering what he wanted to say. "She didn't want to be alone if someone came to tell her you were gone." _

_Ukitake knelt down in front of them, brushing back Katsumi's hair with infinite care. "Silly woman." He smiled and nodded. "Thank you for watching after her. But the next time she wants to cuddle-"_

_"Tell her Nanao would go into a blind rage and cut all her hair off?" Shunsui cut off with his suggestion. _

_"Whatever works." Ukitake agreed with a small laugh. "Though, I can't see "Dear, sweet Nanao" going into a blind rage over you." _

_"Hey! It could happen." Shunsui retorted indignantly. _

"Yamamoto!" The strong, nearly overpowering baritone of the voice Kenpachi carried around shook the walls as much as his long stride. The door didn't slide open, it simply disappeared, shattering into thousands of splinters of wood, shreds of paper fluttering to the floor. "I demand your permission to retrieve my vice!" His large imposing figure stood over the seemingly shrunken form of the Captain- Commander. Yamamoto looked around him at Katsumi, his gaze saying it all. 'I may be mad at you, but you make one hell of a Captain.'

"Kusajika requires my protection." He stated firmly when Yamamoto didn't answer him immediately.

"She is a vice in the-"

"She's a child. No matter how much power she has, and she's hinted at a considerable amount, she won't know what to do with it without instruction. Children still get scared, even the powerful ones." Katsumi pointed out. Why couldn't this man see reason? "You also placed Urahara in danger. That wasn't fair. We are yours to command, but he is not any longer under your rule."

"The lady has a point." Shunsui spoke up, making himself known. No one seemed to have noticed he was even there until then. "I think it's time you spilled."

Yamamoto knew he was outnumbered. These three weren't going to stop until they knew what he knew. With a sigh, he nodded, motioning to the chairs scattered about the room. "Please summon Captain Ukitake." Yamamoto asked of a young Shinigami standing at the door. He nodded and briskly ran off to do as he was bid.

"Wait..he's sick. Let him rest." Katsumi protested, not yet sitting.

"No, he isn't. I'm sorry Katsumi, I had to lie to you. He's been in the library studying. You'll find out why." Shunsui apologized. Once again dressed in his Captain's uniform, he plopped himself down into a chair, patting the one beside him. Reluctantly, she slid into it. Ukitake appeared in the room, taking a step forward with a nod to Yamamoto. The pad of his thumbs and index fingers had been turned brown by dust and ink.

"Please, Captain Ukitake, explain Kisho to us." Yamamoto invited, remaining standing.

With surprise, his eyes found Katsumi. He gave her a brief smile, meant only for her. It was all she needed to feel her anger boil down. Turning back, he returned to business. "That won't be so easy. As far as Mayuri and I have been able to tell, he is working for Aizen. As to what he is, neither of us can be sure. He has elements of both Shinigami and Hollow."

Before he could explain further, Kenpachi raised himself to his full height, gripping his Zanpaku-to tightly. "Arrancar." He growled, his expression hard, one you might imagine on someone who wanted to bite the heads off of tiny critters. Scary indeed.

"Actually no. Not Vizard either. Both of these groups have distinct characteristics that make each what they are. Arrancar must be created. A result of this is their physical characteristics, some marking that makes it obvious they are what they are. Some small amount of Hollow mask and visible hole somewhere on their person. Vizards on the other hand, are trained, not created. They work very hard to gain their unique powers and to master them. Also, they are governed very tightly by their peers. If not deemed worthy, an aspiring Vizard is destroyed. It would be very hard to find a rogue Vizard. Also, they have no connection to Aizen, making it unlikely that Kisho is a Vizard.

"Thanks to Ichigo's information, I believe it is safe to fully rule out a Vizard's part in this. That still leaves us with no answer as to what Kisho actually is. Mayuri's theory is swaying toward a pairing between a Hollow and Shinigami, or even worse, a living human. With Aizen's help, he believes, it would be possible for such an abomination to mature very quickly. There, as Kisho has, such a creature could infiltrate Soul Society. Following this theory, it would have been easy for Kisho to advance. By killing any who took the rank he wished to have, it would only be a matter of time before his skills were needed. As Yamamoto said when he was initiated, his clumsiness, no matter how severe, does not take away from his strength as a Shinigami. He was right. The truth is Kisho could be very dangerous.

"Because of what we now know, as little as it is, Mayuri has asked to study Kisho closely under the pretense of finding the real enemy. As far as we can tell, Kisho isn't any the wiser. We don't believe he knows we're on to him." Ukitake ended, glancing around.

"Kusajika Yachiru is in danger then." The statement, rather than question, came from Kenpachi.

Reluctantly, Ukitake nodded. "As is Urahara and those working for him and living with him. Onishi will have to return as well. It will be hard for her to brief the other's on Kisho's state without letting him know we're aware of him being our enemy. Instead, we're going to have to take him down immediately. The longer he is alive, the more information he can gather on the tactics we're preparing to use against Aizen and the more Shinigami he will have a chance to kill."

"As such, I am having Kenpachi accompany you back." Yamamoto stepped in with a nod to Ukitake. "If we were to send too many Captains or Vices back with you, Onishi, it might tip off Kisho. Under no circumstances can we allow him to return to Soul Society."

"Without his Zanpaku-to he should be next to defenseless. Why are you worried?" Katsumi brought up, remembering his plead to return the katana to him.

"What Shinigami would agree to leaving behind is weapon, especially for such a weak reason? It was immediately given to Mayuri for study. It has no power whatsoever. It is simply a prop for Kisho."

"But I've seen his Bankai." Shunsui argued.

"Some other power he exhibited and called Bankai. It worked rather well. It took us a long time to determine he was the enemy all along. We had no idea. If he was a bit smarter, we might not have known until it was too late to do anything. Aizen wouldn't have had a hand in the result of whatever event created Kisho, so he was stuck with what he got, and apparently decided to use it anyway."

"With all due respect, Commander, I'd like to leave now. I don't like the idea of Kisho being so close to so many people who aren't aware of the threat he poses."

"Go." He said simply, having the tone of a parent who really just wanted to say; Get out of my sight.

Standing abruptly, Kenpachi beat them all to the door. Katsumi paused a moment to look up at Ukitake. With a brief smile, she laid a hand on his pale cheek. His slim fingers moved to cover hers, black eyes looking down at her gently. "Don't disappear on me again." He spoke softly, meaning every bit of it.

"I won't. I promise you."

Before leaving, Katsumi sat down with Shunsui and Kenpachi to formulate a plan. It took the small group a solid four hours to build and agree on one course of action. Their departure was hasty and rushed, both sides eager to see this finished. Upon arrival, Kenpachi stayed behind. Yachiru's predictable reaction to his presence would set things on the wrong track right away. Everyone had relocated to the first floor once more, life returning to the peaceful pace it had been before the appearance of the 'Hollow'. Katsumi walked into the shop and knelt down.

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" Although it would annoy Yoruichi to no end, she hoped the former second squad Captain would be smart enough to catch on. "I have tuna!" She taunted.

Sure enough, the black cat leapt at her, laying over her chest and shoulder with a loud purr. Making it appear that she was rubbing her face against the cat's soft fur, she whispered what she had to in order to get the woman in cat form up to speed and understanding her role. Still purring, the cat jumped down and sauntered away, off to find Urahara. Yachiru flew at her next, wrapping her arms around Katsumi's legs. "You're back!" She cried happily, nuzzling her knee.

"Indeed I am. You were good, right?" She asked, looking down as she stroked the little Vice's pink hair. "Ken-chan misses you." She half lied. He hadn't said it, but everyone knew it was true.

"Hehe, of course he does!" She exclaimed, turning and walking away, slyly stealing a piece of candy off the shelves and popping it into her mouth, wrapper and all.

Right on time, Urahara's cry of pain sounded from the back of the shop. Yachiru nearly choked on the candy as from her point of view, she'd been caught. Everyone rushed to the back where he was laying, a small dagger embedded in his shoulder. When Yoruichi did something, she didn't do it half-asked. Kisho was the last to arrive, his eyes widening.

"Have we been robbed?!" He asked with a small, girlish shriek.

"No...no...Kisho...come closer....I....I have to tell you...." What a drama king. Kids must love playing pretend with Urahara.

Kisho, seemingly concerned, knelt down and leaned in close.

"Closer..." Urahara beckoned. He had to keep from rolling his eyes as Kisho fell for the oldest trick in the book. In one swift movement, the blade was out of his shoulder and embedded to the hilt in Kisho's chest. The reaction was what they'd hope for. Rather than crying out in pain, or simply dying, he blinked and looked down at Urahara, standing quickly.

"Why did you do that?" He asked, sounding more like a hurt child now than anything else.

"Kenpachi!" Katsumi yelled, not a moment before man came lumbering in following the black bolt of fur that was Yoruichi. Only a moment after and Kisho was slammed against a wall, the dull, chipped blade of his Zanpaku-to at his neck.

"Ken-chan to the rescue!" Yachiru cried happily, jumping up and down and clapping.

Before he could be finished off, Kenpachi was stumbling forward a bit, his arm coming into contact with the wall Kisho had been forced against. Yachiru's cry of surprise brought him around quickly with a growl, dark eyes menacing.

"Let me go! You big.....you big.....you jerk!" She cried, struggling wildly, her Reiatsu starting to make a physical appearance around her. Without a moment's hesitation, Yoruichi was on his back, claws deep in his skin as her small, sharp teeth buried in his neck, hoping to hit something major.

Dropping Yachiru, Kisho reached behind him and grabbed the black cat at the scruff of the neck and pulled hard. With a feline yelp, she was ripped from him and thrown hard against a wall, where she simply crumpled and lay still. "KITTY!" Yachiru cried, running over to scoop up the still ball of fur.

Kenpachi made another swing, running toward him with long steps that ate up the short distance between them. Before his blow could land, Kisho was gone again, this time to Urahara, burying the dagger, for real this time, into his shoulder, barely missing his heart. The tall man struggled to stand as surprise and shock took over. He should have been ready for that!

"Where the hell is Mayuri?" Katsumi asked, Zanpaku-to drawn, Shinigami uniform donned.

"Don't patronize me!" The voice sent shivers down her spine despite the situation. Ukitake seemed to be the only one who wasn't affected by him. "I am no coward who would run away from a fight. A -man- never does such a thing." His implication was clear.

"Then shut up and fight!" She growled, rushing at Kisho from one side as Mayuri came from the other. When they met in the middle, Kisho was no longer there. Luckily, they avoided attacking each other, both spinning around to protect the other's back. Kisho did the unexpected, appearing between them again almost immediately. What appeared to be smoke enveloped Mayuri and he disappeared.

Katsumi managed to finally land a blow as she spun to face her opponent once more, striking him across the chest, but only with half the force she would have liked. The smoke, despite Kisho's injury, drifted out and around the room, threatening everyone else as well. With only a moment's hesitation, Katsumi knew what she had to do.

"Kenpachi! I'll distract him, you finish him." She ordered without thought, her Reiatsu gathering around her tightly, giving her a soft blue glow. Without another word, she was swallowed by a column of blue light. It burst outward, momentarily blinding all who looked before disappearing, Katsumi with it. The only flaw in her plan was that Kisho went with her.

_Unseen, Katsumi sat under the willow, one elbow propped up on her arm. Ukitake had agreed to privately train a young academy student and that was the session she watched now. He was kind and patient with the young woman, helping her up each time he struck her down. It made her wonder what sort of a father he would make, if he was given the chance. _

_After an hour or so of intense sparring, Ukitake raised his hand. "That's enough for now." Though he didn't outwardly smile, it was in his voice. "You're doing very well, Miako." He praised, turning to take up a ladle of water, offering it to her. The vessel fell to the grass with a muffled thunk almost immediately, taking even less time to do so than it did for Katsumi to stand. _

_Miako had her lips firmly pressed against his, being taller than Katsumi, the young woman didn't even have to stand on her tiptoes to do so. Abruptly, he pulled away, taking a step back with a hand raised between them. "Was...that wrong?" She asked, obviously embarrassed. "I...I thought we had something. You agreed to train me personally..." She pointed out gently. _

_"I help Shinigami of all ages and genders train, Miako. I do so to help them better themselves, not because I am attracted to them." As harsh as it was, it was the truth, and he wasn't going to sugar coat it for her. "I am committed to Vice Captain Onishi." _

_Not understanding, Miako just looked at him. "She's dead...shouldn't you move on?"_

_With a sad shake of his head, Ukitake turned and walked away from her. "You have much to learn. Gone does not mean dead." He stated simply. Katsumi ran to catch up with him, falling into step beside him. If only she could kiss him. _

_"Thank you..." She whispered, knowing that even if it wasn't audibly, he heard her somehow. _

_Almost as if to respond to her directly, "I love you," slipped from his lips. _

Katsumi shook her head and tried to steady herself. She hoped Kenpachi would be able to handle Kisho in the few moments it would take her to adjust and begin her attacks.

"Onishi! Where did you go? Where's Kisho?" Kenpachi fairly roared his fury.

Her eyes flying open in surprise was the only thing that saved her from literally losing her head. Bending at the knees, she let herself fall back, Shunpo then carrying her safely out of his reach.

"You didn't think I could follow you here, did you?!" Kisho cried, furious. His cheeks were flushed with anger, nothing of the clumsy, immature Captain stood before her now. "You thought you were all alone here! That you could do anything without repercussions!" For every step she took back, he took two forward. The shimmering blade of her Zanpaku-to, now a thin line of dust that shifted and swirled was raised protectively in front of her. "You took me from this....this place of perfect beauty!" He swung with all of his might, a sword materializing mid swing, nearly catching her stomach as she jumped back.

"What are you talking about?" Despite the lack of substance her Zanpaku-to seemed to have in Bankai form, the clang of steel rang out when the two blades met.

"This place is paradise! Compared to your crappy Soul Society where most souls live in rags, under leaky roofs, this is perfection. I worked all of my mortal life to achieve perfection. And I did. I was rewarded with this place. Bliss, perfection, pleasure...all of it here. And then one day, some Shinigami drags me to Soul Society with her! Paradise gone in an instant!" He struck again and sent her flying backwards when she blocked. She slammed into the wall next to Yachiru and fell to the floor with a gasp, immediately struggling to her feet.

"With no form I just wandered, miserable. Then I found Aizen. He took me in, gave me form, gave me a chance to avenge the one who wronged me. Onishi Katsumi! The great and powerful Shinigami who now stands before me in fear."

"I had no idea, I didn't do it on pur-" With a grunt, she was cut off, blocking the five successive blows that came at her. She stumbled back with each one, her arms growing more tired each time. The final blow landed on her arm, digging deep into her shoulder. Lurching back and off the blade, her opposite hand clamped down on the wound to attempt to stop the flow of blood, Zanpaku-to gripped in her now weak hand.

"I don't care!" He roared, swinging again. Shunpo once more saved her, dashing her away, though not as far as she would have liked. This had to end soon if she wanted to be the victor. The more he fought, the more his rage grew and the stronger he got. "And now, you'll know what it's like to be miserable. I'll wound you to the point where you're still alive, but no longer kicking, then I'll drag you back and let you die next to your precious Captain and he'll never even know you're there!"

She jumped back again, shifting her Zanpaku-to to her good hand. Attempting to finish it quickly she used Shunpo to appear behind him, burying her sword into his back and twisting. He howled in pain, starting to sound more like an animal than a man. His own sword swung around to try and catch her but she dodged by mere inches and gave a hard yank, pulling the blade free. He spun to face her and in a show of luck, managed to block his attack.

The fury of his attacks surprised, and scared, her. No human could match it. Even as a Shinigami, wounded as she was, she was amazed. She barely blocked each attack. With the use of only one arm, her defense was growing weaker. All she could do was retreat slowly under his onslaught, hoping one blow didn't sneak past her. Tears gathered in her eyes, realizing she had been backed into a corner. She was going to die, and no one would ever know. They could only guess. Her arm slowly grew cold, blood soaking her haori, turning the pristine white a dark red, making the fabric heavy.

With a roar, he gathered his strength for what he hoped was one final blow. It sent her to her knees where she swayed for a moment, before dropping her Zanpaku-to to fall forward and lean against her good arm heavily. She was breathing hard, heart pumping to sustain her body and her failing arm.

"Finally. That took a lot longer than it should have. Aizen said you were all weak, not willing to do what needed to be done. I can see that now. You're all weak, but you're arrogant as well. Pathetic. You'll never get a glimpse of the beauty I achieved and lived in."

He raised his sword for a final blow and didn't hesitate. However, even in her weak form, Katsumi was fast. Grabbing the sword, she used her body weight as the driving force behind her blow rather than the nearly nonexistent strength of her arms. The honed blade of her Zanpaku-to didn't fail her. Slicing straight through his arm, the blade continued through his exposed neck. The force of it sent him to the side where he fell with a loud thud, the blade he held, the blade he intended to kill her with, disappearing.

With a gag, she turned away, falling onto her good arm, breathing hard. Her entire body was growing cold now, all the feeling in her arm had vanished. Gathering the last of her concentration, she prepared to send herself back. It took much longer than she'd planned and by the time she reappeared before Kenpachi in a bloody heap, she'd passed out. Mayuri appeared as well, passed out.

Urahara seemed to be fine, as did Yoruichi who was now up and cleaning her silken coat.

"Yachiru." The large man said simply. The girl nodded and grinned.

"Okie dokie! I'm ready to go!" She grabbed the neck of Mayuri's haori. Kenpachi scooped up the form of Katsumi, cradling her small form against his chest and started out of the shop without a backwards glance. Behind him, Yachiru happily pulled Mayuri across the ground by the nape of his neck, humming as she went.

"Captain Onishi." A gentle voice commanded her to open her eyes and Katsumi found that she couldn't resist. Unohana's kind face came into focus, barely. "Ah, there you are. Welcome back." She straightened and turned away to fetch some tea. Quite a few people had gathered in her room. Shunsui leaned against the furthest corner, Nanao prattling off lists of things that she expected him to remember. Every once in a while, she would asked if he was listening to which he would just nod and go back to snoring. Ukitake, of course, as there as well, sitting at the foot of her bed. Momo had even come to see to her care, Toushiro keeping her company, though he was also concerned for Katsumi. Yamamoto's old form could be seen out the door and off to the side, waiting patiently. Several of her squad members were scattered about the fairly large room, milling about and talking, glancing her way.

Ukitake slid up the bed to sit beside her, taking her hand in his. "Welcome back. And thank you for not disappearing on me again."

"I did...for a while." She admitted, smiling. When she reached up to touch his cheek, she only found pain, wincing slightly and glancing down. Her injured arm was tightly wrapped, showing no signs of blood soaking through yet.

"You should regain full use of your arm. Perhaps not right away, the muscles will have to repair themselves." He added gently, squeezing her good hand. "You're lucky to have it." Yachiru she now noticed, was sleeping at the foot of her bed, curled up tightly like a sleeping, pink kitten. Smiling, Katsumi looked back up. "And we're lucky to have you. Even Kenpachi was worried."

"You lie!" She laughed, quickly regaining herself.

"Take her home, Captain Ukitake. Make sure she doesn't use that arm for another couple of weeks. I'll look at it after that and we'll see where we're going to go from there." Unohana instructed gently, handing her the tea. "That is, after you finish this."

Although no one seemed to noticed, the relief in the room full of her friends and adopted family was evident.

_The soft moonlight illuminated the room, coming in through the open window with the warm breeze. Katsumi stood by it, looking out over the city. Before too long, inevitably, her attention turned to the man sleeping in their bed. He lay on his back, head turned to the side against the pillows. The profile it gave was aristocratic, long slim face, tapered chin, almond eyes set beside a slim nose. Stark white hair framed his cheek, giving a striped view of his ear, continuing down his neck to fall over his slightly toned chest. The sheets came half way up his stomach, white cotton barely lighter than his skin. His breathing was soft, the rise and fall of his chest indicating he was fast asleep. _

_Every muscle in her body tensed, her nerve endings set afire for a moment. It happened every time she set eyes on him, including the first time. She had no desire to look elsewhere. All of her dreams and wishes lay with that sleeping man, weither he knew it or not. _

_Laying beside him, she slid under the covers and against his body. "Thank you..." She murmured, the soft whisper barely audible. _

_Without indicating it had woken him, his arm slid around her to pull her close. "I love you." _

The End!


End file.
